KR20110039113A - Camera module and digital image processing apparatus therewith - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A camera module and digital image processing apparatus including the same are provided to implement a camera module in chip size level through a simple structure by improving the circuit connection structure of the image sensor. CONSTITUTION: Light is incident into a lens unit(110), and an image sensor(120) is coupled to the lens unit to receive the image inputted through the lens unit. A flexible substrate(130) contacts the both sides of the image sensor, and the image sensor includes a pixel region and a die pad of an image inputted passing through the lens unit. The die pad is arranged on one side of the image sensor.

Description

Camera module and digital image processing apparatus having same

The present invention relates to a camera module and a digital image processing apparatus including the same, and more particularly, to a camera module for receiving an image input through a lens by an imaging device mounted on a circuit board, and a digital image processing apparatus having the same. It is about.

Typically, the digital image processing apparatus includes all devices that process images such as a digital camera, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a phone camera, a PC camera, or use an image recognition sensor. The digital image processing apparatus may be provided with a camera module that receives an image.

The camera module may receive an image through a lens, the input image may be formed on the image pickup device, and the image may be obtained and stored as an image file by a circuit structure connected to the image pickup device.

To this end, the conventional camera module may include a structure in which the lens module is coupled to the housing, and the housing and the printed circuit board on which the imaging device is mounted are coupled. In this case, the camera module may be manufactured by a chip on board (COB) method, a chip on film (COF) method, or a wafer level module (WLM) method using a through silicon via (TSV) technology.

Typical COB-type or COF-type camera modules are structurally 1.5 to 2 times the size of an image sensor chip. In order to reduce the size of the device, it is required to implement a camera module having a chip size, but the current method of manufacturing a camera module has a limitation in reducing the module size compared to the sensor chip size.

On the other hand, the current camera module is not mounted to the thermal reflow process by the Surface Mount Technology (SMT) technology is mounted on the substrate by hand, the assembly cost may increase.

An object of the present invention is to provide a camera module that can be implemented at a chip size level with a simple structure by improving the circuit connection structure of an image sensor, and a digital image processing apparatus having the same.

The present invention, the lens unit is incident light; An image sensor coupled to the lens unit to receive an image input through the lens unit; And it provides a camera module having a flexible substrate in contact with both sides of the image sensor.

The image sensor may include a pixel area that is a portion to which an image input through the lens unit is input, and a die pad disposed on one surface of the image sensor.

The flexible substrate may include a bond lead disposed on one surface and connected to the die pad, and an external terminal disposed on the other surface to connect the image sensor to the outside.

A second surface where the die pad is located in an area excluding the pixel area of the first surface coupled with the lens portion of the image sensor, and the external terminal is a surface opposite to the surface where the die pad of the image sensor is located; It can be located at.

The flexible substrate may be connected across the first surface, the side surface of the image sensor, and the second surface.

The external terminal may include a solder ball pad disposed on the other surface, and a solder ball formed on the solder ball pad and connected to an external circuit board.

The flexible substrate may further include a circuit pattern that electrically connects the bond lead and the solder ball pad from one surface of the flexible substrate to another surface of the flexible substrate.

A stud bump may be disposed between the bond lead and the die pad, and the flexible substrate may be adhered to one surface of the image sensor by an adhesive surrounding the bond lead, the die pad, and the stud bump.

The flexible substrate may be adhered to the other surface of the image sensor by an adhesive applied between the opposite surface of the surface on which the external terminal of the flexible substrate is disposed and the image sensor.

The display device may further include an adhesive part disposed between the lens part and the image sensor except for the pixel area to bond the lens part and the image sensor.

The lens unit includes at least one lens, a support unit for supporting the lens, a filter unit for filtering light incident through the lens, and a housing surrounding at least a portion of the lens, the support unit, and the filter from one surface. It can be provided.

Another aspect of the present invention provides a digital image processing apparatus including the camera module.

According to the camera module and the digital image processing apparatus having the same according to the present invention, by improving the circuit connection structure of the image sensor, it is possible to implement the camera module at a chip size level with a simple structure.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 is an exploded perspective view schematically showing the camera module 100 as a preferred embodiment according to the present invention. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along II-II of the camera module 100 of FIG. 1.

Referring to the drawings, the camera module 100 includes a lens unit 110; Image sensor 120; The flexible substrate 130 and the adhesive part 140 may be provided.

Light is incident through the lens unit 110. The image sensor 120 is coupled to the lens unit 110 to receive an image input through the lens unit 110. The flexible substrate 130 is in contact with both sides of the image sensor 120. The adhesive part 140 is disposed in an area excluding the pixel area 121a between the lens part 110 and the image sensor 120 to adhere the lens part 110 to the image sensor 120.

The image sensor 120 may include a main body 121 of the image sensor and a die pad 122. The pixel region 121a is disposed in the main body 121 of the image sensor at a portion through which the image is input through the lens unit 110. The die pad 122 is disposed on one surface of the main body 121 of the image sensor.

The flexible substrate 130 includes a flexible member 130a, a bond lead 131, a circuit pattern 133, and external terminals 132 and 134. The bond lead 131 is disposed on one surface of the film type flexible member 130a and connected to the die pad 122. The external terminals 132 and 134 are disposed on the other surface of the flexible member 130a to connect the image sensor 120 to the outside.

The external terminals 132 and 134 may include solder ball pads 132 and solder balls 134. The solder ball pads 132 may be disposed on a surface opposite to a surface on which the bond lead 131 is located. The solder ball 134 is formed on the solder ball pad 132 and connected to an external circuit board.

In this case, the die pad 122 is positioned in an area other than the pixel area 121a disposed on the first surface coupled to the lens unit 110 of the image sensor 120, and the external terminals 132 and 134 are connected to the image sensor. The die pad 122 of 120 may be located on a second surface that is opposite to the surface on which the die pad 122 is located.

Accordingly, the flexible substrate 130 may include a first surface coupled to the lens unit 110 of the image sensor 120, a side surface of the image sensor 120, and a surface on which the die pad 122 of the image sensor 120 is located. It can be flexibly connected over the second side, which is the opposite side of. That is, one flexible substrate 130 may be flexibly bent and bonded to one image sensor 120.

In this case, the flexible substrate 130 may be a double-sided substrate on which circuit patterns 133 are formed.

Meanwhile, FIG. 3 illustrates in detail the junction 150 of the front surface and the flexible substrate 130 in which the image sensor 120 is coupled to the lens unit 110 in the camera module 100. Here, the stud bumps 151 are disposed between the bond leads 131 and the die pads 122, and the adhesive 152 surrounds the bond leads 131, the die pads 122, and the stud bumps 151. The flexible substrate 130 may be adhered to the front surface of the image sensor 120.

In this case, as the adhesive 152, an anisotropic conductive film (ACF) or a wafer level non-conductive film (NCF), which is a non-conductive adhesive film, is used as the adhesive 152. It may be attached to the front of the (120).

Accordingly, the electrical connection between the image sensor 120 and the flexible substrate 130 is smoothed through the stud bumps 151, and the image sensor 120 and the flexible substrate 130 are securely bonded by the adhesive 152. And, it can be protected and supported from the outside of the junction portion 150.

Meanwhile, FIG. 4 illustrates a flexible substrate 130 extended from the camera module 100, and FIG. 5 illustrates a cross-sectional view taken along the line V-V of the camera module 100.

In this case, the flexible substrate 130 may further include a circuit pattern 133 formed on both surfaces of the flexible member 130a of the flexible substrate 130. The circuit pattern 133 may electrically connect the bond lead 131 and the solder ball pad 132 by penetrating from one surface of the flexible member 130a of the flexible substrate 130 to the other surface.

Accordingly, both surfaces of the flexible member 130 of the flexible substrate 130 may be simply connected by the circuit pattern 133 to implement the camera module 100 having the chip scale by the flexible substrate 130.

In addition, the adhesive 160 is applied and fired between the image sensor 120 and the position corresponding to the surface opposite to the surface on which the outer terminals 132 and 134 of the flexible substrate 130 are disposed, so that the flexible substrate 130 It may be attached to the back of the image sensor 120. As the adhesive 160, a conventional adhesive or an adhesive material such as epoxy may be used.

The camera module 100 according to the present invention may be disposed on both sides of the main body 121 of the image sensor while wrapping the side of the image sensor 120 using the flexible characteristic of the flexible substrate 130. Therefore, the size of the camera module 100 can be reduced to about the same size as the size of the image sensor chip.

The die pad 122 is positioned on a first surface of the image sensor 120 of the main body 121 of the image sensor, which is a surface to which the lens unit 110 is coupled, and the external terminal 123 of the main body 121 of the image sensor. The die pad 122 may be located on a second side that is opposite the side on which the die pad 122 is located. The external terminals 132 and 134 may include solder balls 134 connected to an external circuit board (not shown) on which the imaging device is mounted.

The flexible substrate 130 is flexible over the front surface where the image sensor 120 is coupled with the lens unit 110, the side of the image sensor 120, and the rear surface where the die pad 122 of the image sensor 120 is located. Can be connected by bending. In this case, as illustrated in the drawing, the image sensor 120 may have a rectangular planar shape, and all four surfaces of the flexible substrate 130 may be folded.

FIG. 6 illustrates that the flexible substrate 130 is coupled to the front surface of the image sensor 120 in the camera module 100. In FIG. 7, the flexible substrate is provided on both sides of the image sensor 120 in the camera module 100. Combined is shown.

In this case, the flexible sensor 130 is flexibly bent along the surface of the main body 121 of the image sensor to connect the through-holes to the main body 121 of the image sensor and does not need to form a conductive connection in the through-holes. The die pads 122 on both sides of the body 121 may be electrically connected to the external terminals 132 and 134. Therefore, it is possible to manufacture the camera module 100 of the chip size level by a simple process.

In the conventional camera module, when a flexible printed circuit board (FPCB) is applied, a pattern is inevitably formed outside of the actual image sensor chip due to the characteristics of the design. That is, in the conventional FPCB, the input and output lines must be laid in one direction, and even if the FPCB is folded, the area of one side where the input / output lines are collected is similar to the size of the chip, and thus the four sides cannot be folded. However, the present invention can put the input and output lines on all four sides to eliminate the phenomenon that the input and output lines are crowded into one side, and thus all four sides can be folded to implement the camera module in the chip size.

In addition, in the camera module 100 according to the present invention, the size of the FPCB is reduced by changing a conventional connection pin terminal portion to a solder ball or bump type capable of fine pitch. This makes it possible to fold the four sides.

In addition, it is impossible to apply the equipment when connecting the pin terminal to the external circuit board, so it requires high processing cost by direct coupling method by human hand, but it is surface mount by solder ball or bump type. By changing the method, when assembling the camera module 100 to the final external circuit board, by the assembly by the surface-mounting equipment, the processing cost is lowered to secure the competitiveness.

Conventionally, in order to promote miniaturization of a camera module, a TSV method is used to manufacture an image sensor having a chip size level. do. In addition, in this case, a large investment is required to have a manufacturing facility, and a high cost is required for the process, thereby increasing the manufacturing cost.

However, the camera module 100 according to the present invention can reduce the size to a size similar to that of the camera module to which the TSV method is applied, and can obtain the same effect as applying the TSV method. In addition, it is possible to mount on an external circuit board by applying the SMT method as a structure capable of thermal reflow (reflow) and can reduce the manufacturing cost.

In other words, WLM of similar size as TSV can be implemented. In addition, since the TSV method, which is a complicated equipment and a high cost process, does not need to be applied, a camera module of a chip size level can be implemented at a low cost.

In addition, since the reliability is improved compared to the conventional camera module, thermal reflow by the SMT mounting technology is possible. In the conventional camera module, the camera module is mounted by hand without using the SMT, but the camera module according to the present invention can be replaced with the SMT, thereby reducing the assembly cost by automation.

In the conventional camera module, cracks, delamination, etc. of the module may occur during a thermal reflow process, which does not guarantee the reliability of the camera module, and the raw material itself is vulnerable to heat, thereby deforming by heat. This is easy to occur. However, the camera module according to the embodiment of the present invention minimizes the gap portion inside the module. Accordingly, the solder ball connection structure is applied to the lower part of the module, which improves the reliability of the camera module and is effective for SMT, and the stress resistance against deformation can be increased by miniaturizing the module size.

On the other hand, the adhesive part 140, the adhesive material such as epoxy is applied to the surface of the image sensor 120 toward the lens unit 110, except for the pixel region 121a, the lens unit 110 is an image sensor ( 120) and then cured to form.

In the exemplary embodiment shown in the drawings, the adhesive part 140 may be formed by an adhesive part formed by an adhesive material. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the lens part 110 and the image sensor 120 may be mechanically or mechanically formed. It may be fixed as.

At least one lens unit 110, the support unit 112, the filter unit 113, and the housing 114 may be provided in the lens unit 110. The support part 112 supports the lenses 111. The filter unit 113 filters the light incident through the lenses 111.

That is, the lens unit 110 includes a lens 112 that refracts light input from the outside and collects the light in the pixel area 121a of the main body 121 of the image sensor. Is entered. In this case, the lenses 111 are supported by the support part 112 so that relative positions of the lenses 111 are fixed to each other.

The housing 114 has an empty space formed from one side to the other side, and surrounds at least a portion of the lens 111, the support 112, and the filter 113 from one surface in the empty space. The housing 114 supports and protects the lens 111, the support 112, and the filter 113.

The filter 113 may include an infrared cut filter for blocking infrared rays incident through the lenses 111 from the outside. In addition, the filter 113 is not limited thereto, and may include various types of filters including an antireflection filter.

The image sensor 120 converts an image incident through the lens module 110 into an electrical signal. The lens 112 refracts incident light and collects the light in the pixel area 121a of the main body 121 of the image sensor so that the image sensor 120 may receive an image.

The image sensor 120 may convert light input through the lens unit 110 into an electrical analog signal. To this end, the image sensor 120 may include a charge coupled device (CCD) or a complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS).

The circuit board connected to the outside may include an analog-to-digital converter including circuit elements (eg, CDS-ADC, Correlation Double Sampler and Analog-to-Digital Converter). The circuit board may be a flexible printed circuit board (FPCB) or a hard printed circuit board (HPCB).

The analog-digital converter may process the analog signal from the image sensor 120, remove the high frequency noise, adjust the amplitude, and convert the analog signal into a digital signal. In addition, the circuit board may include a digital signal processor (DSP), and the digital signal processor (DSP) may control the timing circuit to control the operation of the image sensor 120 and the analog-digital converter.

According to the present invention, by improving the circuit connection structure of the image sensor, the camera module can be implemented at a chip size level with a simple structure.

8 schematically illustrates a camera phone 10, which is an embodiment of a digital image processing apparatus in which the camera module 100 of FIG. 1 is mounted. The camera module 100 according to the present invention may be mounted on the cellular phone main body 200 of the camera phone 10.

In the camera module 100 mounted on the camera phone 10, the flexible substrate 130 is disposed on both sides of the main body 121 of the image sensor while surrounding the side of the image sensor 120 using the flexible characteristics of the flexible substrate 130. By doing so, the camera module 100 can be implemented at a chip size level of a simple structure.

The camera module 100 according to the present invention is not only the camera phone 10 illustrated in FIG. 5, but also a notebook computer, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a monitor insertion camera, and a bumper, which are capable of taking and transmitting pictures. It can be applied to various image processing apparatuses such as a vehicle rear surveillance camera and a door / interphone.

According to the present invention, it is possible to achieve miniaturization of the digital image processing apparatus such as the camera phone 10 by improving the circuit connection structure of the image sensor and implementing the camera module at the chip size level with a simple structure.

Although the present invention has been described with reference to one embodiment shown in the accompanying drawings, this is merely exemplary, and various modifications and equivalent other embodiments may be made by those skilled in the art. You will understand. Accordingly, the true scope of protection of the invention should be defined only by the appended claims.

1 is an exploded perspective view schematically showing a camera module according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line II-II of the camera module of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a junction of a front surface of an image sensor and a flexible substrate in the camera module of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 illustrates a flexible substrate unfolded in the camera module of FIG. 1.

5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line VV of the camera module of FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is a view illustrating a flexible substrate coupled to a front surface of an image sensor in the camera module of FIG. 1.

FIG. 7 is a view illustrating a flexible substrate coupled to both sides of an image sensor in the camera module of FIG. 1.

FIG. 8 is a diagram schematically illustrating a camera phone as an embodiment of a digital image processing apparatus equipped with the camera module of FIG. 1.

<Explanation of symbols for the main parts of the drawings>

10: digital image processing apparatus, 100: camera module,

110: lens unit, 120: image sensor,

130: flexible substrate.

Claims (12)

A lens unit through which light is incident; An image sensor coupled to the lens unit to receive an image input through the lens unit; And A camera module having a flexible substrate in contact with both sides of the image sensor. The method of claim 1, The image sensor, A pixel region which is a portion into which an image input through the lens unit is input, and And a die pad disposed on one surface of the image sensor. The method of claim 2, The flexible substrate, A bond lead disposed on one surface and connected to the die pad; A camera module disposed on the other side and having an external terminal for connecting the image sensor to the outside. The method of claim 3, The die pad is located in an area excluding the pixel area of the first surface coupled with the lens part of the image sensor, And the external terminal is located on a second surface opposite to a surface on which the die pad of the image sensor is located. The method of claim 4, wherein And the flexible substrate is connected across the first surface, the side surface of the image sensor, and the second surface. The method of claim 4, wherein The external terminal, A solder ball pad disposed on the other surface; And a solder ball formed on the solder ball pad and connected to an external circuit board. The method of claim 6, The flexible substrate And a circuit pattern that electrically connects the bond leads and the solder ball pads from one surface of the flexible substrate to another surface of the flexible substrate. The method of claim 3, A stud bump is disposed between the bond lead and the die pad, and the flexible substrate is adhered to one surface of the image sensor by an adhesive surrounding the bond lead, the die pad and the stud bump. The method of claim 3, And the flexible substrate is adhered to the other surface of the image sensor by an adhesive applied between an opposite surface of the surface on which the external terminal of the flexible substrate is disposed and the image sensor. The method of claim 2, And a bonding part disposed in an area excluding the pixel area between the lens part and the image sensor to bond the lens part and the image sensor. The method of claim 1, The lens unit, At least one lens, A support for supporting the lens, A filter unit filtering light incident through the lens; and And a housing surrounding at least a portion of the lens, the support, and the filter from one surface. The camera module of any one of claims 1 to 11; And a main body having a main body.

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